Peter Stevenson provides an introduction to the practice of preaching. It is designed for people from various church traditions, in the early stages of ministerial formation. Preaching is a complex and challenging business requiring a demanding mixture of skills. People listening to a sermon have the right to expect that a person who stands up to preach, can interpret the Bible competently, has a grasp of core Christian beliefs, and believes what they preach. They also expect someone who has the necessary range of communication skills to put the message across in an accessible way. Such a range of expectations presents daunting challenges to the most experienced preacher. Including practical exercises which could be used by individuals or by groups, this book is suitable for introductory courses in preaching or for modules which consider preaching within an overall focus upon leading public worship.

The SCM Studyguide: Practical Skills for Ministry offers a practical introduction for those who are training for ministry, both lay and ordained, within the church. The book answers the questions asked by those preparing for ministry and by those who have recently started and found gaps in the way they have been prepared. The author uses real examples drawn from his experience of over 20 years of pastoral ministry, together with work in chaplaincy and broadcasting and the shared experience of others. The book covers all those aspects of ministry required within the more practical contextual areas of the course of preparation for ministry in use by mainstream denominations, such as baptisms, weddings, working with others, communication, meetings and funerals. It provides practical guidance which is soundly theologically and pastorally based.

Since it was first published, the SCM Studyguide to Theological Reflection has quickly gained a reputation for being a vital and accessible guide to the subject for all who embark on it for the first time. This studyguide offers newcomers a step by step introduction to understanding what theological reflection is and helps them to explore which of the methods introduced best suits them and their particular situation. It is practical in emphasis, providing students with a wide variety of worked examples and opportunities to carry out their own exercises. This 2nd edition will bring the content up to date, offering a revised and improved bibliography and updated and refreshed examples and exercises, including new sections on scriptural reasoning and contemplative theology.

This book is a wide-ranging introduction to Christian ethics that assumes no prior knowledge of the subject. It introduces a range of approaches to Christian moral reasoning and discusses numerous practical ethical issues. Throughout the book, ethical theory and practical ethics are integrated with one another, in order to show how each informs the other. Topics often neglected in Christian ethics are dealt with here, including Christian ethics and science and Christian ethics and pastoral care. Case studies and exercises give readers the opportunity to formulate their own responses to the moral issues discussed in the book, and to reflect on the sources of their own moral deliberation and action. Chapter bibliographies list print and web resources offering more detailed coverage of the topics introduced in the book.

Kate Bruce argues that imagination can help to engage the hearer in a sermon which seeks to evoke rather than to inform. Imagination frames how we see the world and ourselves in it. As such it has a vital role in how preachers see the preaching task itself, which in turn affects how we go about the task.

An introduction to the study of the ways the church has evolved in its corporate life since its birth in the first century. Special attention is given to studying its changing relationship and interaction with the surrounding societies in which it has existed. The intended readership will be those training for ministry in English speaking churches, so the studyguide will concentrate on those aspects of this subject of most relevance to this group. This means there will be greater attention to developments in the West than in the East, especially in later centuries, and to topics such as the nature of ministry, the sacraments, places of worship, authority in the church and mission. These will be examined at each period of church history, in each chapter, to provide reference points of comparison throughout the book. Each chapter will also contain a specific case study, presenting extracts of some key documents with notes, commentary and questions for discussion, to allow readers to develop skills in historical research. General discussion questions and reading lists will be provided at the end of each chapter. The final chapter will provide guidance for the study of the history of the student’s own church and community.

Provides a grounding in the historical development of the Sacraments from the Old Testament through to modern day thinking. General ideas of sacraments and ritual are covered as well as Old Testament practices, the response of Jesus and the Early Church.

Explores the nature of Christian mission in contemporary post-modern society. This book examines the main historic types of mission in the Christian tradition, seeing how they were forged in the cross currents of history and how they continue to be expressed by different Christian communities.

The story of the Bible us most often told as the story of men, from patriarchs to prophets, kings, disciples and apostles. But women are there, sometimes in the background, sometimes striding powerfully onto the stage. Their story is moving, prophetic and good news for the congregations to whom we preach. Out of the Shadows seeks to enable preachers to see these often marginal characters in a new light, offering ideas about how to communicate their stories with power, resonance and punch.

The SCM Studyguide: Biblical Hermenuetics offers entry-level undergraduates a framework for interpreting the Bible. The book goes beyond offering guidance on how to do exegesis, and is intended as a practical tool to help readers develop good interpretative strategies for themselves. As such it features pedagogical tools such as Try-it-Out boxes to assist students to develop a tested and thought - through overall interpretative strategy of their own. This fully updated 2nd edition takes into account the changing church and world context, and the new challenges this context brings as students seek to read the Bible with attentiveness, integrity and faithfulness. Table of contents Acknowledgements Introduction 1. Where Do We Want to Go? 2. Past Experience and Present Expectations 3. Tools for Exegesis 4. Our Reality 5. Committed Readings 6. Enabling Dialogue with the Text 7. Our Goal: Life-Affirming Interpretations Summary of the Interpretative Process References and Further Reading Index of Biblical References Index of Names Index of Subjects